New Delhi: The government told the Lok Sabha this week that 633 Indian students died abroad in the last five years due to various reasons including natural causes with Canada topping the list with 172 cases.
Out of the 633 incidents of deaths, 108 were reported in the US, 58 in the UK, 57 in Australia, and 37 were in Russia, according to details provided by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. Eighteen incidents were reported in Ukraine, 24 in Germany, 12 each in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Cyprus and eight such cases were reported in China.
In a written reply to a question in the Lower House of the Parliament, Singh added that "providing safety and security to Indian students abroad is one of the top priorities of the government of India. Indian missions/posts abroad maintain regular contacts with Indian students enrolled in universities abroad".
To a separate question, Singh said a total of 48 Indian students have been deported from the US over the last three years. "Reasons for deportation are not officially shared by the US authorities," he said.
The Parliament was further informed that the Indian expatriate population in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries surpassed 90 lakh, with the United Arab Emirates hosting the largest number, totaling 35.5 lakh. Saudi Arabia follows with 26 lakh Indians, while Kuwait ranks third with over 11 lakh. Other GCC nations include Oman with 7.79 lakh Indians, Qatar with 7.45 lakh, and Bahrain with 3.23 lakh.
